Winter is Here… How to Stay Motivated

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Yesterday the weather in the mid-south took a real turn for the worst. It was rainy, cold, and very windy all day and as the day went on the temperature kept dropping. The power at our house even went out two separate times last evening for a short time. It dropped into the teens overnight, and when I got in my car this morning the temperature gauge read a whopping 20 degrees.

My car at around 7:30 this morning

It’s not exactly motivation to jump in a cold pool.

Somehow, I was able to get my butt in the water and do a pretty decent workout of 3800 yards. There are a few things that keep me motivated on mornings (and months) like this – here are a few:

Natatoriums are notoriously hot. If you want a place to find stifling heat on a cold day, look no further than a pool deck 😂. The water may feel cold at first but rest assured the heat of the poorly circulated air will only take a few minutes to thaw you out from walking across the parking lot in the wind and cold to get to the gym.

Hot showers. I’m not much for community hot tubs, but a 20 degree day may force me to make an exception. If you swim at a community center chances are the pool has a hot tub that you can look forward to when you finish your workout. If you don’t have a hot tub (or if it kinda grosses you out) the hot shower after a pool workout on a winter day is pure bliss. When I got in today I think I literally said “Ahhhhhhh” out loud, involuntarily 😳.

Treat yourself to some new gear. Nothing cheers me up like wearing a brand new suit for the first time. If you’re looking for a new fun bright suit to beat the winter blues, check out Jolyn.com. I’m a little older than their target market (all of the teenage girls on our swim team wear these), but they are high quality suits and they have EVERY color. This bengal print suit is my latest favorite to cheer me up and get me motivated to jump in. The holiday season is here, so even if you just window shop and add a few fun pieces to your wish list, it will lighten your mood. If you’re looking for holiday gear, check out my shop on swimoutlet.com for some ideas.